Praise for the previous edition: "This encyclopedia...allows the student to realize the richness and diversity of the Native American beliefs to the forefront of the world religions...Highly Recommended."—Book Report "...recommended for public library, school, and undergraduate reference collections."—Booklist "...the wealth of information...make this useful for both public and academic libraries."—Library Journal Despite a long history of suppression by governments and missionaries, Native American beliefs have endured as dignified, profound, viable, and richly faceted religions. Encyclopedia of Native American Religions, Third Edition is the go-to reference for the general reader that explores this fascinating subject. More than 1,200 cross-referenced entries describe traditional beliefs and worship practices, the consequences of contact with Europeans and other Americans, and the forms Native American religions take today. Coverage includes: Biographies of figures such as Thomas Stillday Jr., an Ojibway and the first Indian chaplain in the Minnesota State Legislature Court cases concerning prisoners' religious rights National and state legislation, such as the Native American Church Bill and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act Religious rights in the military Sacred sites, such as Snoqualmie Falls, and the sacred use of tobacco Tribal court cases involving the participation of non-Indians in Native American religious ceremonies, such as the Sun Dance.

Publisher Description

A comprehensive, illustrated encyclopedia which provides information on over 150 native tribes of North America, including prehistoric peoples.

This encyclopedia provides an overview of the main religions of Latin America and the Caribbean, both its centralized transnational expressions and its local variants and schisms. These main religions include (but are not limited to) the major expressions of Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Pentecostalism, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses), indigenous religions (Native American, Maya religion), syncretic Christianity (including Afro-Brazilian religions like Umbanda and Candomblé and Afro-Caribbean religions like Vodun and Santería), other world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam), transnational New Religious Movements (Scientology, Unification Church, Hare Krishna, New Age, etc.), and new local religions (Brazil’s Igreja Universal, La Luz del Mundo from Mexico, etc.).

A comprehensive resource to the rich spiritual traditions and practices of Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada. Included are over 1,200 entries, aplphabetically arranged and fully cross-referenced, covering a broad range of topics.

Collects almost five hundred entries that cover the African response to spirituality, taboos, ethics, sacred space, and objects.

Religion and Culture in Native America presents an introduction to a diverse array of Indigenous religious and cultural practices in North America, focusing on those issues in which tribal communities themselves are currently invested. These topics include climate change, water rights, the protection of sacred places, the reclaiming of Indigenous foods, health and wellness, social justice, and the safety of Indigenous women and girls. Locating such contemporary challenges within their historical, religious, and cultural contexts illuminates how Native communities' responses to such issues are not simply political, but deeply spiritual, informed by sacred traditions, ethical principles, and profound truths. In collaboration with renowned ethnographer and scholar of Native American religious traditions Inés Talamantez, Suzanne Crawford O'Brien abandons classical categories typically found in religious studies textbooks and challenges essentialist notions of Native American cultures to explore the complexities of Native North American life. Key features of this text include: Consideration of Indigenous religious traditions within their historical, political, and cultural contexts Thematic organization emphasizing the concerns and commitments of contemporary tribal communities Maps and images that help to locate tribal communities and illustrate key themes. Recommendations for further reading and research Written in an engaging narrative style, this book makes an ideal text for undergraduate courses in Native American Religions, Religion and Ecology, Indigenous Religions, and World Religions.